{"id":4631,"date":"2016-03-03T20:17:27","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T14:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4631"},"modified":"2016-03-03T20:17:27","modified_gmt":"2016-03-03T14:47:27","slug":"bowled-over-the-mi-vs-csk-final-proved-ipl-is-no-longer-a-batsmans-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=4631","title":{"rendered":"Bowled Over: The MI vs CSK Final Proved IPL is No Longer a Batsman\u2019s Game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A<\/span>fter Sunday\u2019s thrilling final showdown of the 2019 IPL season in Hyderabad\u2019s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, we\u2019re all in need of a nice, quiet lie-down. The much-anticipated battle between the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, whose fierce rivalry is often called <\/p>El Clasico<\/span><\/a> of the IPL, went down to the final ball and saw Mumbai win by one run \u2014 proving that such a lofty comparison is not without merit. Each team went into the final with three tournament wins under their belt, with Chennai looking to win big in what might have been the last chance stalwart skipper MS Dhoni, now 37, had to lift the trophy again. But with every over, the needle seemed to swing from Mumbai to CSK and back, as unpredictable as Lasith Malinga\u2019s wicket-taking yorker off the ultimate ball of the series.<\/span>\n\nMalinga\u2019s redemption came on the back of three hideously expensive overs that could easily have cost Mumbai the tournament \u2014 so it\u2019s fitting that he snatched a win by the merest whisker. Is there any more conclusive proof required that even when big hitters break their bats, it\u2019s the <\/span>bowling<\/span><\/a> side that can make or break the game?<\/span>\n\n\nIt was always going to be a clash of the titans. Both MI and CSK have been head and shoulders above the competition throughout the <\/span>tournament<\/span><\/a>, and both teams perpetually play as favourites. After Mumbai won the toss and elected to bat, CSK\u2019s star bowlers, including Purple Cap winner Imran Tahir and pacer Deepak Chahar, fought back against a potentially deadly partnership between Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya, restricting MI to 149 runs. Despite chasing this modest total and a solid 80 (59) knock by Shane Watson, CSK couldn\u2019t save themselves from the indignity of losing by a single run. <\/span>\n\nThe smallest things can make the difference between a champion and a runner-up, especially in such a close game. Many have blamed a dispirited performance by Suresh Raina, the once-brilliant top scorer of the IPL, who not only ate up crucial early overs but also wasted both umpire appeals and dropped a sitter to give Hardik Pandya a new lease on life. Then there was the controversial dismissal of Dhoni in a tense <\/span>run-out<\/span><\/a> decision that went down to the millimetre, and the devastating loss of Watson in the last over, which fans have <\/span>blamed<\/span><\/a> on pressure by Ravindra Jadeja from the other end of the wicket. <\/span>\n\nBut then, as Dhoni said after the match: \u201cBoth teams made <\/span>mistakes<\/span><\/a> today, but [Mumbai Indians] made one lesser mistake.\u201d So slipshod was Mumbai\u2019s fielding that the Super Kings were graced with four dropped catches, each mishap bringing us one step closer to losing Sachin Tendulkar to a rage-induced aneurysm. <\/span>\n\nEven Captain Cool Dhoni has admitted that it wasn\u2019t great cricket that got his team so far, instead giving full credit to his bowlers. In some ways, this season of the league has been <\/span>disappointing<\/span><\/a> \u2014 or at least, not what we\u2019ve come to expect from the IPL. Touching 200 runs has been a serious feat, with slow pitches like the Hyderabad ground limiting the fearsome fours and sixes we\u2019ve seen in seasons past. Mumbai Indians famously defended a total of 129 in the same sticky stadium during the 2017 finals.<\/span>\n\nStill, what about the teams who had top scorers like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, and <\/span>Royal Challengers Bangalore<\/span><\/a>, and found themselves outclassed not just by Mumbai\u2019s intimidating batting order, but by Chennai, who haven\u2019t had a single standout hitter through the series? Nor was it the batsmen who ended up winning the day for the Indians. <\/span>\n\n\nIf the battle between IPL\u2019s giants has made one thing clear, it\u2019s that <\/span>T20<\/span><\/a> can no longer be dismissed or lauded as a batsman\u2019s game. Just as the early years of the IPL were characterised by a new brand of batting, focussed on speedy power-hitting and popularising risky shots, a fresh approach to bowling has also emerged through the course of the league.<\/span>\n\n

Even Captain Cool Dhoni has admitted that it wasn\u2019t great cricket that got his team so far, instead giving full credit to his bowlers.<\/blockquote>\n\nLook at 25-year-old Jasprit Bumrah, whom Sachin has <\/span>referred<\/span><\/a> to as the best bowler in the world. Holding his own among wily old Chennai foxes like 40-year-old Tahir, Bumrah\u2019s slingy action ensured he gave only 14 runs away while picking up two wickets. <\/span>Malinga<\/span><\/a>, who also leapt to global fame due to his strange and inscrutable bowling style in the IPL, went on to teach the children (that is, CSK finisher Shardul Thakur) why a reliable death bowler is worth his weight in gold. <\/span>\n\nThe common wisdom of the IPL, that it\u2019s all about who can hit the biggest shots, has changed. Over the years, the record now dictates that batsmen might win matches, but it\u2019s the bowling side that clinches tournaments. <\/span>It\u2019s taken a while to get here, but yesterday\u2019s <\/span>MI-CSK<\/span><\/a> final cements the place that bowlers have earned in the league, as the real MVPs who can change the game faster than any 90-metre boundary. <\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The common wisdom of the IPL, that it\u2019s all about who can hit the biggest shots, has changed. Over the years, the record now dictates that batsmen might win matches, but it\u2019s the bowling side that clinches tournaments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":208,"featured_media":4632,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[394],"tags":[5713,5569,5570,3691,5165,8201,397,7954,8202,8203,8204,1270,3696,7142,3485,879,8205,8206,8207],"class_list":["post-4631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-ambani","tag-batting","tag-bowling","tag-chennai-super-kings","tag-csk","tag-imran-tahir","tag-ipl","tag-ipl-2019","tag-jasprit-bumrah","tag-kieron-pollard","tag-lasith-malinga","tag-ms-dhoni","tag-mumbai-indians","tag-nita-ambani","tag-rohit-sharma","tag-sachin-tendulkar","tag-shane-watson","tag-spinner","tag-suresh-raina"],"yoast_head":"\nBowled Over: The MI vs CSK Final Proved IPL is No Longer a Batsman\u2019s Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The common wisdom of the IPL, that it\u2019s all about who can hit the biggest shots, has changed. 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